


eden

by sventeen



Category: selector infected WIXOSS
Genre: F/F, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 07:36:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8047942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sventeen/pseuds/sventeen
Summary: things return to normal. hitoe and midoriko reflect together.





	eden

**Author's Note:**

> a commission for acecampbellsaunders @ tumblr

Sometimes, she finds herself hesitating in taking the other’s hand, worried the brush of their fingers might finally shock her awake, might make her realize it’s just been one long dream.

“Is something wrong, Hitoe?”

She catches herself with a shake of her head and a smile, eyes shining behind her glasses. “Oh, no!” Midoriko’s skin is warm now, soft and very much real, and she thinks back to a time where she wondered if she’d ever get to feel it.

–

Sitting in the middle of her bed, cards spread out on the covers all around her, she and Midoriko admire the latest tweaks to her deck.

“You must like deckbuilding, huh,” came the voice from the card closest to her. “You’re getting pretty good at it.”

Hitoe flashes a sheepish smile. “O-Oh… I’ve just been trying things Ruko and Yuzuki suggested… but it doesn’t make much difference if I can’t play them right when it counts.”

“You’re learning really quick, though. I’m sure you’ll get the hang of them– practice makes perfect, right?”

“Well, even if I still need practice, it’s fun to see what we can put together. I’ve never done anything like this before, or had anyone who would do things like this with me, so…” She takes the card from the bed, slow and gentle, as though it could shatter if handled wrong. “It makes me feel closer to you, too… um, if that’s not weird to say…”

Midoriko laughs, and it’s reassuring. “It’s fine! I get the same feeling, okay? So don’t worry about it.”

Hitoe nods once before starting to scoop all the cards back up.

–

Though they attend different schools, the two take the same train back and forth.

Midoriko remembers the rides they shared on that train when they were LRIG and Selector.

All scrunched up in a far corner, Hitoe looked more like a mouse in a cage full of cats than a student on her way to school. She’d rummage through her bag for nothing in particular, or idly shuffle cards, little nervous habits that kept her distracted.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to interact with anyone– the first thing Midoriko even knew about her was that she wanted to do that more than anything.

“I-It’s just… overwhelming. Every morning, I tell myself I’ll smile at someone, or greet the person who sits next to me, but… I always get too scared.”

It took about every ounce of courage she had to approach Ruko and Yuzuki in the first place, and though she loved them both dearly, Midoriko could tell their hang-outs exhausted her.

Now, though, it’s different. Hitoe sits up straight and smiles so warm and wide, especially when Midoriko gets on. Her voice is still as soft as ever, but it doesn’t waver anymore.

“You’ve grown even more from when I saw you last,” were the words she’d offered when they’d finally met in-person on that train.

“Well… a lot has happened,” Hitoe had replied.

“Up for talking about it?”

Midoriko took the seat next to her, and talk they did– about Ruko and Yuzuki, about Tama and Yuki and Mayu, about everything.

“To have gone through all that,” Midoriko finally mused aloud, “you and them– you’re all incredibly strong.”

–

Some nights, when Hitoe feels loneliness nipping at her ankles, she stays up well past any reasonable hour to converse with Midoriko, despite her insistence that she really ought to sleep.

“It’s lonely in there by yourself, though, isn’t it…?”

“It’s fine, really. I can manage a few hours alone– but you’re going to be falling asleep in class at this rate.”

She sighs and lightly presses the pad of her finger to the card. “Alright… you win.”

On cue, Midoriko reaches out, her tiny hand disappearing under the other’s fingertip. “Goodnight, Hitoe.” Though their touch can’t ever quite reach, there’s something comforting about the action regardless.

“Huh…”

Midoriko cocks her head. “What is it?”

“A-Ah, it’s nothing… I was just thinking, it’d be nice if you could come out of the card one day. Then you wouldn’t have to be in there by yourself…”

There’s silence, then a smile, small and sad. “Yeah… that really would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

–

“Attack!”

They sit on the floor in the middle of Hitoe’s room, mats and cards all set up between them. Ruko and Yuzuki had left a couple hours ago, signaling the end of another successful playtest session, but Midoriko and Hitoe continued to battle. By now, they’ve lost track of how many games they’ve finished, but neither quite care.

“It’s still a little strange seeing you on the other side,” Hitoe says, eyes flitting across the cards in her hand, “but I’m glad we can fight each other like this now.”

Midoriko scratches the back of her head. “I haven’t gotten used to it yet, either, to be honest. But you know, I didn’t realize just how much I missed this game. I’d totally forgotten what it felt like to be the one making the plays.”

“You’re really strong, too… I’ve only won a couple of times.” Hitoe sighs and adjusts her glasses. “Even though I’ve gotten a lot better, it looks like I still need practice…”

“Well, we can play like this all we want, now, no strings attached. I was pretty competitive even before becoming a Selector, so I’m sure I can help you out.”

“Really? You’re so calm, I can’t even imagine you in a tournament all fired up…”

“Hah, well, I’ve been told keeping it together even when it gets tough is what gives me the advantage.”

Hitoe can see it, of course. Their respective win ratios for the day make it painfully obvious.

They finish their game and shuffle up for another. It’s quiet in the room, save for the rustling of cards, until Hitoe finally speaks up. “If it’s alright to ask, what did you wish for when you were a Selector…?”

Midoriko stops shuffling, and a little knot ties itself in Hitoe’s stomach.

“I-It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it, I probably shouldn’t have asked, I was just…”

“Ah, no, it’s okay!” Midoriko waves a free hand. “It’s just not something I’ve thought about in a while, and… well, you’re going to laugh.”

With a frantic shaking of her head, Hitoe replies, “No, I’d never!”

“Alright, but I’m telling you, it’s pretty silly. You know those little monster dolls they’ve always got in the UFO Catchers at the big arcade downtown?”

“Yes, uh, Ruko and I spent a lot more money trying to get one than we should have once.”

With a chuckle, Midoriko continues, “Well, I collect them. They get new ones every couple of months, but the old ones get retired to make room. It’s hard to get a hold of them once they’re rotated out of the machines. A lot of people win them just to sell them off later, and some of the really old or sought-after ones cost hundreds. And it’s hard for a kid to get that kind of money, so… I wished I could have all the ones I’m still missing.”

Hitoe doesn't miss a beat. “That’s not silly at all! It was something important to you, right? I couldn't laugh at that.”

“Thanks. It’s just, compared to the wishes of everyone I faced back then, or wishes like yours or Yuzuki’s, it seemed like a pretty shallow thing to trade my existence for.”

“It’s not like you knew. None of the Selectors did, so you shouldn’t feel bad about it. I mean…” Hitoe shifts in place. “I guess when you think about it, my wish was really simple, too, wasn’t it?”

Midoriko can’t meet her gaze all of a sudden.

“… D-Did I say something wro–”

“I’m sorry, Hitoe.”

The air around them weighs like lead on their shoulders.

“Back then, knowing you’d made your wish come true all on your own, I still wanted to stay with you. Even if it meant being an LRIG forever, it didn’t matter as long as I could be yours.” Her hands are trembling enough that the deck she still holds threatens to come apart and slip through her fingers at any moment. “I knew it was wrong. I knew by staying, I’d only be forcing you to remain a Selector. But you were kind, and warm, and I wanted to watch you open up, more and more. I wanted to be your friend, too. And because of that… because of me, you suffered.” Her voice cracks as she swallows a sob. “I was selfish, and I hurt you.”

When Hitoe’s arms wind around her, she can’t hold it back anymore as that gentle voice asks, “you really were lonely in there, weren’t you…?”

A pile of cards falls to the floor with a quiet thud as Midoriko reaches out to cling to the other girl, fingertips digging into her sides in desperation. Her sobs are muffled by Hitoe’s blazer, tears soaking through the fabric in an instant. “When I became someone else’s LRIG, all I could think about was you… all I could think about was how I’d ruined everything for you… all I wanted was to apologize, but I thought I’d never get the chance…”

“It’s alright,” Hitoe murmurs, cheek resting on Midoriko’s head, “everything is alright, now…”

“Are you upset? Do you blame me?”

“Of course not.” Hitoe nuzzles into the other’s hair. “You’re precious to me– you always have been. I wanted you to stay with me, too… even if you’d tried to get me to abandon you, I wouldn’t have.”

Back then, Midoriko was the one comforting Hitoe. With the roles reversed like this, she’s practically at a loss. “But…”

“We’re both here now, together, playing and talking and laughing.” Hitoe pulls back just enough for Midoriko to see her smile. “That’s what matters, right…?”

With a sniffle, Midoriko lets go, face all puffy and red. “S-So… we can really start over, then?”

“We already have,” and Hitoe holds up her hand, palm out.

A moment of deliberation, and their hands meet, no longer separated by cardstock and a curse.

Midoriko’s skin is warm now, soft and very much real. It’s their shared wish that it stays that way.


End file.
